Jonathan Rowe, Atalanta's 23-year-old forward, was at the centre of one of the match's most contentious moments as la Dea fell 3-2 to Milan in a result that extended their difficult start to the 2026-27 Serie A campaign.
The defeat was Atalanta's fourth in seven league matches, leaving Maurizio Sarri's side tenth in the table on nine points. What made the loss harder to absorb was not the scoreline alone but the manner of it: Atalanta pulled back to 3-2 after Milan had led 3-0, only to fall short of a point that would have been extraordinary in its circumstances.
Rowe's role in the controversy was direct. Sarri, in his post-match remarks, pointed to a cross from the Atalanta forward that he believed struck De Winter on the arm inside the penalty area — a moment that, had it been given, might have altered the match's final chapter entirely. Sarri did not stop there, directing his frustration at the referee in terms that will likely draw the attention of the disciplinary commission. The Atalanta coach's anger was specific and pointed, which suggests the handball incident felt, to those inside the dressing room, like a genuine turning point rather than a marginal call.
For Rowe himself, the season continues to resist easy narrative. Across five Serie A appearances this term he has yet to register a goal or an assist, carrying an average match rating of 6.84. Those are numbers that describe a player present but not yet decisive — contributing without converting. His AI overall of 67 out of 100, with a potential of 74, frames him as a player still in the process of becoming rather than one already arrived.
The cross that provoked Sarri's outburst is, in its own way, a useful data point. It means Rowe is reaching the byline, creating situations, putting deliveries into dangerous areas. The output — goals, assists — has not followed, but the underlying activity is not invisible. At 23, in a new league, with a team that has won only three of its first seven matches, the conditions for individual flourish are not ideal.
Atalanta's problem is structural as much as individual. Three wins, no draws, four defeats is a profile that speaks to inconsistency rather than outright weakness — a side capable of competing but not yet of converting that competitiveness into points. Sarri's public anger after the final whistle is the pressure valve of a coach who knows his team is closer than the table suggests, and who is running short of patience with the margins.
Rowe's next opportunity to shift his personal numbers arrives soon enough. The cross was the right instinct. The finish, or the assist, is what the season demands of him now.